The National Union of Romanian Hauliers (UNTRR) welcomes the political agreement reached regarding the enlargement of the Schengen Area with Romania and Bulgaria's air and sea borders starting from March 2024, but calls on Romanian and European authorities to also establish a clear date for the enforcement of the Schengen visa-free rules for land borders as well, starting in 2024."Schengen accession is an important and much-awaited step by Romanian passengers and transport operators, which should have been achieved as early as in 2011, when the European institutions found that Romania meets all the technical requirements for admission. Given that all passenger data are at the disposal of air transport operators, the enlargement of the Schengen Area with Romania's air borders could have been accomplished a long time ago. There is obviously no justification of a technical nature for the delay, the reasons are political, the members of the EU club have chosen to punish Romania and Bulgaria and reduce their competitiveness all this time, curbing their development potential. Yet now, Romania's joining the Schengen with the land borders is an emergency for road freight carriers whose efficiency is currently severely penalized through the extremely long waiting times (about 30 - 36 hours daily between Romania and Bulgaria) and for coach operators, in order to avoid the significant administrative burden arising from the new obligations of verifying passenger data in the European EES and ETIAS travel registration and authorization systems starting from next year," UNTRR secretary general Radu Dinescu said, as cited in a release of the organization.According to a report conducted by UNTRR this year on the impact on road freight of Romania being kept out of Schengen, the industry incurred losses of 2.41 billion euros."We request the urgent setting of a definite date for Romania's Schengen entry with land borders too, and if there are certain special requirements, they should be clearly mentioned in order to have a precise reference regarding the accession calendar and the goals to be achieved. The criteria the other members of the EU club want Romania and Bulgaria to fulfill must not exceed the general framework and the technical requirements for admission," said Dinescu.UNTRR representatives point out that the road transport industry, which with 7.66 billion euros in 2022 is Romania's largest exporter of services, is the economic branch most affected by Romania being kept out of Schengen.
Ion Iliescu, Romania’s first president after the fall of communism in December 1989 and one of the country’s most influential and controversial political figures, died on Tuesday, August 5, at the age of 95. His death was announced by the government, which expressed condolences to his family and stated that details regarding the state funeral […]
A large medieval cemetery was discovered this week at the Hasdeu High School in Lugoj, western Romania. The complex may have extensions into the surrounding yards and a high historical importance. Although the excavations are only just beginning, with an estimated 10% of the necessary work completed so far, the discoveries have already showed promise. […]
A trilateral working meeting for the creation of a regional cybersecurity alliance between Romania, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine took place on July 30 in Chernivtsi, Ukraine. The establishment of such a union would boost Romania's role in region. "The National Cybersecurity Directorate considers that the initiative to establish a cybersecurity coalition between Romania, […]
Two Dacian gold bracelets from the collection of the National History Museum of Romania (MNIR) have been recently 3D scanned as part of a digital preservation project highlighting these exceptional archaeological pieces. The initiative, launched by the museum, aims to showcase the artistry and cultural significance of Dacian goldsmithing. Crafted with remarkable skill, the spiral-shaped […]
Arad, a city in western Romania dubbed the “Little Vienna,” will organize a celebration of its history and culture in the Austrian capital, between August 8 and 20. The Days of Arad Culture begin on August 8 with the photo exhibition "Arad of Yesterday and Today," which will highlight the architectural connection of the city […]
In a report published on Tuesday, August 5, the Group of States against Corruption, or GRECO, said that Romania has fully implemented two of the 26 recommendations made in the 2023 Fifth Round Evaluation Report on preventing corruption and promoting integrity among top executive functions of the central government and law enforcement. Out of the […]
